The tensile strength of the healing wound about a week after the cut surfaces of the skin are sutured to each other is about 10% of the normal tensile strength of skin. The initial weakness of the dermis during wound healing is due to the material elaborated by fibroblasts to close the wound in a very rapid fashion. This material is
A) type I collagen
B) type II collagen
C) type III collagen
D) type V collagen
E) type VII collagen

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The material elaborated by fibroblasts to close the wound in a very rapid fashion is type III collagen, which is initially synthesized in large amounts during the first few days of wound healing. Type III collagen is less organized and less strong compared to the normal type I collagen found in the skin. As the wound matures, type III collagen is replaced by type I collagen, which increases the tensile strength of the wound.

The Tensile Strength of the Healing Wound About a Week